Projects
The Chapman Brook is part of the nationally recognised Lower Blackwood River High Conservation Value Aquatic Ecosystem (HCVAE) and is located within the Jarrah Forest Bio-geographic region. The permanent streams of the brook have high conservation value providing critical habitat and drought refuge for plant and animal taxa and communities, including the critically endangered White-bellied frog (Geocrinia alba).
The brook also has recreational, cultural and historical significance, with one of the larger pools ‘Chapman Pool’ being a popular tourist site for swimming and boating and has important spiritual and heritage connections for Aboriginal people.
We have partnered with several farmers along the Chapman and Upper Chapman Brook to restore and protect the brook on private land. This has involved removing Weeds of National Significance (WoNS) which include blackberry and bridal creeper, fencing off the brook and revegetating with locally endemic species.
Fencing off the brook from farming land prevents stock access which reduces erosion and siltation, improves water quality, reduces the spread of weeds and allows bush regeneration. Planting local species in the fenced riparian area also contributes to reducing erosion in the long term, creates habitat, provides habitat protection and takes the place of weeds.
So far the project has checked and cleared as necessary, 93 ha of invasive weeds and fenced off 64 ha of riparian land.
This winter, 48 volunteers joined the team to plant 23,881 shrubs and sedges, helping to stabilise 11.5 ha of riparian land.
19,000
Total area revegetated19 ha
Total area protected via fencing44 ha
Total area treated for WoNS102 ha
No of landholders engaged20
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